A CN train engine is in the foreground while the rest of the train can be seen in the background as it rounds a curve.

Railways eliminate carbon surcharge

Saskatchewan farmers would have paid $80 million this year in carbon tax surcharges

Farmers said they are happy and relieved that Canada’s two major railways have removed their carbon tax surcharges.

Rail workers work on the tracks next to an inland grain terminal.

Grain monitor raises alarm about railway performance

Mark Hemmes of Quorum Corp said railways have to do better, as CN points to new volume records the company set this year

Canadian National Railway announced last week it established two new monthly grain movement records, even as Canada’s grain monitor says railway performance continues to be inconsistent.


A grain car covered in graffiti sits on a rail siding near a grain terminal in winter.

Farmers pay price as railway delays deepen

Farmers pay the price, but regulatory demands called moot without quantifiable data

Frustration is mounting within Canada’s grain industry as persistent rail delays continue to disrupt shipments and inflate costs, particularly at ports on Canada’s west coast.

Canada is the world's second-largest country by area and relies heavily on trains to transport grain, automobiles, potash, coal and other goods. | File photo

Shippers fear rail stoppage ‘catastrophe’

OTTAWA (Reuters) — North American industry groups and shippers are bracing for an unprecedented simultaneous stoppage at both of Canada’s main railways that could inflict billions of dollars’ worth of economic damage. Canada is the world’s second-largest country by area and relies heavily on trains to transport grain, automobiles, potash, coal and other goods. “It’s […] Read more

Transit capacity in the canal has been reduced to 24 ships per day through the end of November, according to a press release from the Panama Canal Authority (PAC). | Screencap via pancanal.com

U.S. exports slow as Panama Canal dries up

Low water levels in the Panama Canal are not disrupting Canadian grain shipments, but they are causing turmoil for exporters in the United States. Transit capacity in the canal has been reduced to 24 ships per day through the end of November, according to a news release from the Panama Canal Authority (PAC). That compares […] Read more


A CN locomotive pulls a grain train around a curve on a sunny day.

Credit agency monitors grain shipments

Credit rating agency DBRS Morningstar is watching western Canadian wildfires to see if grain movement will be affected. In a commentary released May 17, the agency said it didn’t believe the current fires would disrupt movement too much. Canadian National Railway had temporarily halted all trains on its main line between Edmonton and Jasper at […] Read more